


I Would Take a Whisper

by fackinglouis1 (fackinglouis)



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-04-08
Updated: 2013-04-08
Packaged: 2017-12-07 21:30:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,522
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/753285
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fackinglouis/pseuds/fackinglouis1
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>They're like magnets, always pulling towards each other until they're stuck atop one another and he's watched them more than enough times to know. Even if they haven't realized it yet themselves, they're soul mates. The type of couple that are destined to be together like it's written in the stars or in the helices of their DNA.</p>
<p>Or the one where Nick believes Harry and Louis are soul mates while Louis is really in love with Nick.</p>
            </blockquote>





	I Would Take a Whisper

Nick honestly believes that he could sell Louis and Harry's love story to some hot-shot producer and make millions off the next great classic. If he were a writer, that is. Although, he's watched them enough to be able to write the script on his own by now, no need for talent of the written word. There would be book deals and fights to the death between actors auditioning for the leading roles that would make pre-teens through middle aged women weep into their tissues. It would be brilliant, he’s certain of it.  
  
They're like magnets, always pulling towards each other until they're stuck atop one another and he's watched them more than enough times to know. Even if they haven't realized it yet themselves, they're soul mates. The type of couple that are destined to be together like it's written in the stars or in the helices of their DNA.  
  
In no uncertain terms, he has no chance in hell.  
  
And that's okay, really. Because he has eyes. He can see the crazy bright smile Louis gets on his face when Harry walks in and it's nothing compared to the small, quietly happy one Nick himself gets. Louis is happy and as disgustingly horrible as it is to admit it and make himself one of those pining fools, all he wants is for Louis to be happy.  
  
So when Louis comes into the studio alone, cheeks a bit flushed from the crisp wind and hair peeking out of a beanie that he's positive he saw Harry in just last week, Nick's a little confused.  
  
His shift has just ended and he's dropping some papers off on someones desk when he sees him, a smile growing on his lips without his permission. "My least favorite member of One Direction!" he greets, because that's just them and Louis knows it's more fond than insulting. "To what do I owe this pleasure?"  
  
Louis shrugs, his hands jittery and twisting with each other. "I wanted to know if you wanted to grab some breakfast or something."  
  
"You want to go out to breakfast with me?" Nick coos exaggeratedly. "Just propose already." While he's not into homewrecking, he's not all that opposed to a little harmless flirting. Especially not when Louis reciprocates.  
  
Louis scowls and rolls his eyes. "I was in the neighborhood," he insists petulantly. "And I didn't want to pay for my food." Because it's not like he doesn't have piles and piles of money he buys entire football teams with. No, instead he'd rather Nick buy him things and then complain about what a horrible friend he is.  
  
"I don't know why I accept this kind of treatment from you," Nick muses out loud, swinging his key ring around a long finger and listening to the keys clank against each other. "I have loads of other friends I could be spending my time with who appreciate me."  
  
"You say that a lot and yet you always end up back with me." The wind blows briskly over the pair as they step out and Nick offers his bent arm in front of Louis until he tucks his cold fingers into the crook of his elbow, forcing them closer in the chilly weather. Louis slips his other hand over his own so they're both holding onto Nick's arm, an occurrence that's grown natural over the time spent together.  
  
They look like a proper couple, bundled up lovingly in the cold, and automatically Nick asks, "Harry didn't have time to make you breakfast this morning?" He looks down expecting to see the knitted patterns of a beanie stretching over Louis' hair, but instead his eyes meet curious blue ones under scrunched eyebrows.  
  
"He was out late last night," Louis explains. "I tried pulling him out of bed, but he ignored me."  
  
"You didn't go out with him?" Nick asks and Louis shakes his head.  
"I wanted a night in. Had a long day yesterday and all that. Good thing I have you as a last resort to get me food, yeah?"  
  
Nick in turn nudges him with his hip so Louis stumbles sideways, gripping Nick's arm to hold himself up against the pull of gravity beckoning him to the ground. The rest of the walk and breakfast pass by uneventfully if the handful of sugar Louis throws at Nick from across the table and the way Nick 'accidentally' pours salt in Louis' tea instead of sugar isn't counted.  
  
(" _I don't even take sugar with my tea, you crusty old man!" Louis cried indignantly, frantically snapping his fingers to hurry a waitress over and get him another cup._  
  
 _"Oops," Nick drawled, not even bothering to hide the grin. "Look at that. Must've slipped my mind, y'know? With the old age and such.")_  
  
When the bill finally does come, despite his earlier claims, Louis tries to at least pay for his meal- if not the whole bill, but Nick shoos away his hands with a quick, "I've got it, Louis. Go buy yourself another jean jacket or something."  
  
-*-*-*-*-  
  
A car whizzes noisily passed where the pair stands closely together on the curb outside the little diner. Louis seems quite content to rock on his heels and smile serenely up at Nick and it's making him a bit uneasy. His blue eyes are squinted partly because of the sun and partly because of the wide smile pulling over his pink, pink lips. Nick can feel his skin crawl.  
  
"Louis?" Nick asks and the boy hums in return, eyebrows raising in question. "You're staring, babe. Not that I can blame you."  
  
Louis finally breaks his eyes away from their trance and ducks his head in a way that's entirely too adorable for Nick's heart to stand this early in the day. "Will you go out to dinner with me tonight?" The question is directed to the dirty cement under their feet and Nick taps the toe of his shoe against Louis'.  
  
"Breakfast and dinner?" Nick sighs and rubs his neck mock uncomfortably. "I suppose I could swing that. If you pay this time."  
  
The smile Louis raises his head with rivals the brightness of the sun, looking like Nick just promised him something much greater than a dinner between two mates. "Of course I'd pay since I asked you," Louis tells him. "I _am_ a gentleman after all."  
  
Nick just laughs, shakes his head. "Sure you are." He doesn't really know what else to say, can't think of anything relevant when Louis' cheeks are flushed in that happy way and his hair is poking out in every which direction under his beanie.  
  
"I'll call you later," Louis nods to himself and takes a step back, but still doesn't make the move to walk away from Nick. Nick waves a big hand, fingers wiggling as he watches Louis finally turn on his heel and walk back home.  
  
Home to Harry.  
  
-*-*-*-*-  
  
Louis skips through the door, singing purposely and obnoxiously off-key and throws his beanie right at Harry when he passes the sofa. The younger boy, previously lounging and half watching whatever made-for-TV-movie was on, groans and sits up. "What was that for?" He whines after his overzealous friend.  
  
"Guess who has a date tonight?" Louis stops and waits a moment for Harry to answer.  
  
"Yo-"  
  
"Me! I have a date tonight!" He exclaims before Harry can even register what's going on. "And," Louis says, waving his hands in front of him in an effort to release some of the pent up energy that's buzzing through his little body. "And guess who it's with!"  
  
"Uh-" Harry starts.  
  
"You'll never guess," Louis grins maniacally and bounds closer to where he's sitting.  
  
"I was trying-" He tries again, but to no avail.  
  
"Nick!" Harry does his best to look surprised, but it's a tall order. He's been expecting his two mates to end up shagging for months. If he's surprised about anything it's at how long it took.  
  
Louis drops ungracefully down onto the sofa, half in Harry's lap and releases a long sigh. "I know, I know," He shakes his head, draping himself further over Harry's body. "I've not got a clue why I like him either, but alas. Love knows no bounds or whatever the saying is."  
  
Harry pats a big hand over his spine. "M'happy for you, Lou. What time are you going out?"  
  
"I'm supposed to pick him up at six," he responds and clicks the home button of his phone so the screen illuminates with the time. "I should probably start getting ready."  
  
"You've got hours," Harry says, but Louis' already scrambling off his lap and down the hall shouting about showers and clothing and hair.  
  
"Everything's got to be perfect!" Louis shouts over the slamming of his bedroom door.  
  
-*-*-*-*-  
  
Nick's a bit befuddled over this whole situation and it's making his hair droop.  
  
A dinner between mates is what this is, it's what he’s spent the better part of the day repeating to himself over and over so the words stuck to his brain. He doesn't want to do something embarrassing like grab Louis' hand-which he's admittedly done in in the past, much to Louis' amusement- or worse: end up kissing him.  
  
But Louis showed up in a pressed button up, buttons clasped tight all the way up to his neck, clean trousers and a shy smile that's been throwing Nick off his game all evening. There's a nervous sort of excitement about him and Nick almost wants to ask if Harry proposed or if they eloped.  
  
At the light, Louis looks over and up at Nick through his dark eyelashes and tells him he can turn on the radio to whatever he'd like. And that's new because usually the radio station turns into a big debate between them and they usually just leave it off (they stopped trying after that time that Louis started threatening to jump out of his moving vehicle). The silence is usually filled with Louis' incessant chatter or Nick's equally incessant, but more condescending prattling.  
  
Now, Louis seems to be too lost in his head and jumpy to hold up his end of a conversation. "That's fine," Nick says and eyes Louis. "What's wrong with you?"  
  
That brings him out of his stupor if only to glare at Nick and his poor choice in words. "I didn't mean it like that," Nick rolls his eyes and waves his hand at Louis. "Why are you so quiet? What's gotten into you?"  
  
The way Louis shrugs signals to Nick that he isn't quite telling the truth, but Nick knows better than to try and pester it out of him. "Well, never mind that then. S'not like I'm going to complain about you being quiet for once."  
  
Louis laughs softly, blinking prettily under his eyelashes, cheeks tinted with a pink flush, and lips shiny and bitten red. That's when Nick decides that whatever deity there is in the world, they're sitting somewhere watching this and laughing cruelly. Life hates him.  
  
They pull up in front of a little restaurant, cozy looking with dim lighting and a warm atmosphere, but Nick isn't really paying attention. Louis' shuffling besides him, walking closer than necessary and latching on to the crook of his elbow much like this morning. But this time it's different.  
  
Louis' fingers play lightly over the tender skin during the walk to their seat which conveniently ends up being a little table tucked in a corner away from the rest, so close that their knees knock together under the table.  
  
 _You're out with a teenybopper sensation,_ he tells himself, _of course you're going to be hidden away from view._  
  
He pointedly ignores the fact that all other patrons look well into their thirties and could care less about whichever member of the hottest boyband just walked in. That little tidbit is filed under _things to torture yourself with and analyze by your lonesome later._  
  
He also pointedly ignores the way Louis' hand rests against the table, open and waiting in a way that Nick would almost think he wanted to hold hands. _Almost._  
  
Things don't get much better after that.  
  
He stays cool when Louis laughs at something he says and reaches over to pat his hand. Nick stays calm when a waiter comes over to light a pair of candles between them, flames bouncing and creating different abstract patterns across Louis' cheek bones, blue eyes illuminated and soft. He even stays collected when Louis reaches for the check with a quick roll of his eyes and a _What type of boy do you take me for, anyway, Nicholas?_  
  
For a brief moment in time, he has this sad, pitiful delusion that he's going to make it out of the night unscathed. The end is so close that he can almost taste it on his tongue, his prize being awarded in the form of another night alone in bed. But no mind to that. He'd rather take cold sheets than lifelong embarrassment any day.  
  
He's so ready to part, has his goodbyes just on the tip of his tongue when-  
  
"It's a bit chilly," Louis starts, nudging closer to Nick's chest and guiding them away from the door.  
  
Louis moves to stand under the streetlamp and turns back around to smile up at Nick. With the added light he can see Louis' flushed cheeks and twinkling eyes and the way he's nibbling almost anxiously on his bottom lip.  
  
Nick would like nothing more than to kiss him. "I had a nice time tonight," he says instead, sliding his long fingers into the tops of his pockets. Louis nods and steps closer. He reckons he'd be able to count Louis' freckles if the boy had any visible.  
  
"Thank you for coming," Louis says quietly, creating a hushed atmosphere around the pair. Somewhere behind them the door of the restaurant opens, laughter from inside leaking out into the street and polluting the quiet air, but Louis' eyes never stray from where they've landed. And that's on Nick's lips.  
  
Before he has time to back up or stop Louis, though he's not positive he would if he _had_ the time to, the shorter man is holding his neck and pulling himself up to his tip toes. Their lips meet in a dry, chaste kiss, Louis swinging his other arm around Nick's shoulder to hold him in place and pressing their chests together.  
  
He can't help it, really, that his hands grip at Louis' waist, that his lips move and work Louis' mouth wider so the kiss isn't so sweet and dry anymore. He's got an armful of Louis Tomlinson who smells so lovely and feels so great that any other rational part of his brain is short circuiting.  
  
It's when Louis finally drops back down onto the heels of his feet, effectively separating the pair, that his brain catches up with his actions. Because Harry is his best mate and kissing his soul mate is probably the shittiest thing he's ever done.  
  
He drops his hands from Louis' hips, steps back and wipes off his mouth hurriedly, mind trying to work out why Louis is still smiling dazedly. "What. What the fuck was that?"  
  
Louis' smiles dims a bit and his eyes squint confusedly under furrowed eyebrows.  
  
"Why did you do that, Louis? What the fuck?" Nick wants to shake him silly, wants to  knock on his skull and listen to hear the echoes he thinks his hollow head would produce. "What the fuck is wrong with you?"  
  
At that, Louis' smiles straightens out into a thin set of lips and he steps back from Nick viciously like he's been burned. "I don't-," he starts, shaking his head and then taking a step forward, right back to where he was. "What?"  
  
And that makes Nick angry. Because Louis is looking up at him, blue eyes wide and adorably, endearingly confused, blinking and scanning over Nick like he's the one who's crazy in this situation. Louis is even frowning a bit like he's actually upset and put out about the fact that Nick pulled away. "Who do you take me for, jesus Louis. Did you think I'd really have no problem with you kissing me?"  
  
For some reason beyond Nick's understanding, Louis' bottom lip wobbles dangerously, his chin scrunching up unattractively and for a second he thinks he might cry. But as quick as the flash of hurt washes over Louis, it's gone and in it's place is an icy stare and hunched shoulders. He's never so much wanted to hug and smack someone at the same time, but. Self control.  
  
"You're a twat," Louis chokes out, his voice thick. "I can't believe I thought-"  
  
"You thought what? That I would go behind Harry's back-"  
  
"Harry!?" Louis exclaims, gesturing wildly. "What in all hell does Harry have to do with any of this?"  
  
Nick laughs, fingers shaking by his sides. "That's rich, really. Sure, just play dumb. It suits you." Self control, he reminds himself.  
  
Louis freezes for a moment before his jaw literally drops, eyes bulging out and fingers coming to flitter around his chin. "Do you like Harry?" He asks hesitantly. "Oh my _god_."  
  
"You think I fancy Harry," Nick deadpans, completely monotone and done with everything because really. _Really?_ "Really?"  
  
Louis crosses his arms over his chest and shrugs petulantly. "Then what does Harry have to do with this?"  
  
Nick drags a hand over his face and contemplates the productivity turning around and walking away would have. Though, Louis would probably shout and follow after him, annoying little bugger he is. "This is such bullshit."  
  
"Says you!" Louis nearly shouts. "I'm the one who asked you on a date and then was yelled at when I tried to kiss you. Honestly, if you're a second date type of boy you could have just said so. No need to make such a big fuss."  
  
"This wasn't a date," Nick says firmly for the both of them to hear.  
  
Louis looks overwhelmingly sad again, small little shoulders curling in and brows furrowing. "Yes it was," he challenges without any real heat behind the words.  
  
"You can't bring me on dates whilst dating another, Louis," he croons, entirely condescending. "Just because you're a spoiled pop star doesn't mean the world is your playpen."  
  
The little wrinkle between his two eye brows disappears slowly as he looks up at Nick, lips twitching around words he can't quite form yet. "Wha-," he tries, the word dying on his lips with a rush of breath. "Dating another, what are you on, Nicholas? Who the fuck."  
  
Nick suddenly feels less confident about this whole conversation and he falters before tipping his chin up defiantly and stating matter-of-factly, "You're in love with Harry." And really if he was expecting anything it wasn't for Louis to laugh at him.  
  
Louis laughs a bit more, trying and failing multiple times to get sentences out between huffs of laughter. "You've gotta be shitting me," he cries, wiping tears of mirth from his eyes and Nick rolls his eyes because that's just overkill now.  
  
He chuckles to himself a bit more and then pauses when Nick stays as stoic as ever. "Wait, you've got to be shitting me," he repeats this time more incredulous than serious. "What a bleeding idiot."  
  
Nick glares at him. He can't combat anything just yet when he still isn't entirely sure of what's going on.  
  
"I'm not in love with Harry."  
  
"Sure," Nick bites and maybe he's being childish, but he doesn't like it when the little rascal is ahead of him. And Louis certainly isn't making it easy with the way he's still sort of laughing at him.  
  
"I'm in love with you, you tosser," Louis continues, stepping closer once again, eyes clear and bright.  
  
Nick is good with words, it's a known fact. He's literally paid to talk and fill empty spaces between songs with witty and charming banter and he's good at it, great even. But right now, all words are failing him and he just hums in agreement to Louis' words. "Well," he starts. "That's a new development."  
  
Louis groans and Nick moves quickly to swallow the sound of frustration with his own mouth, big hand on the small of his back pulling him in closer.  
  
So, yeah. It's pretty cool, the way the night ended up if Nick does say so himself. Even if Louis spends another three minutes cackling at the fact that Nick's spent months suffering because of his mistake and ends up making a phone call to Harry right then and there to tell him all about it.  
  
"And you wonder why I thought that," Nick grumbles, but his words aren't heard by Louis whose practically shouting _I know! He was like yelling at me because he thought I was cheating on you, the twat!_ down the receiver.  
  
Really, he should take it as a warming for how this relationship is bound to go, but Nick's a bit distracted with the armful of pretty boy he's finally allowed to touch and love and think about now.  
  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> The title comes from the song Echo by Jason Walker- which you should listen to. Also, this was inspired by a prompt on tumblr that I took five months to complete, so sorry original prompter !!!!


End file.
